Onboard solar charging.

[Thom]

Ok, I am new to the forum so I don't know if it has been brought up before but I want more information on the onboard solar charging. I have two reservations one for a CT and the other for an Aptera. Still trying to decide. Solar charging on the CT would seal the deal.

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[Diehard]

Ok, I am new to the forum so I don't know if it has been brought up before but I want more information on the onboard solar charging. I have two reservations one for a CT and the other for an Aptera. Still trying to decide. Solar charging on the CT would seal the deal.

Solar charging on CT would not have as much of an impact as it does on Aptera. I wouldn’t put as much weight on your decision for CT. For Aptera on the other hand, I would get as much solar onboard as I could.

 

[Thom]

I am aware of the difference between the solar charging capacity of Aptera and CT. But if CT doesn't have any solar capacity I will be very disappointed. I only live 5miles from work so 10-15 miles will be fine.

 

[Newton]

Im kinda bummed we havnt learned anything about adding extra solar to the CT.
It was never suggested by tesla though (other than the integrated solar bed cover option)

 

[Thom]

https://twitter.com/JRussell614?ref...50924.ampproject.net/2304132133000/frame.html

Other than this Tweet I haven't heard anything.

 

[JBee]

The most likely solar option will be a solar panel in the rear glass roof above the rear seats. This will be enough to offset the parasitic drain of a "always on" Tesla, and possibly offer some free ventilation to keep air conditioning loads down for a little range gain. But don't expect it to charge up a CT battery from flat in under 4-5 months, or at all.

The Aptera uses so much less energy than a CT that it will obviously get much better mileage from a small sized solar array. A comparable solar array for the CT would be bigger than the vehicle surface area.

I'm planning on launching a pop top, solid side walled camper that will incorporate enough solar for about 30miles per day in lower latitudes. It will cover the entire CT footprint, including the entire front area and windscreen, and also incorporate 1 axis tracking.

Like with all things solar though, your best and most cost effective solution will be to install a larger solar array on your house and use that instead.

 

[Crissa]

https://twitter.com/JRussell614?ref_src=twsrc^tfw|twcamp^tweetembed|twterm^1197889310550216704|twgr^2fa465e41abd25dda4b30520506d3b18459c360e|twcon^s2_&ref_url=https://d-17533633851440350924.ampproject.net/2304132133000/frame.html

Other than this Tweet I haven't heard anything.

It's been asked about in interviews, and he hasn't said much more.

I hope they do have some method for plugging non-AC into the truck for charging, or dynamic charging for when the truck isn't sitting still. It'd really help with vampire loads while in the mountains.

-Crissa

 

[HaulingAss]

I am aware of the difference between the solar charging capacity of Aptera and CT. But if CT doesn't have any solar capacity I will be very disappointed. I only live 5miles from work so 10-15 miles will be fine.

Just get the Aptera as the Cybertruck sounds totally overkill if that's all the driving you will be doing on a daily basis.

If your needs change in the future, and you find the Aptera no longer meets all your needs, you could get a Cybertruck and install a solar carport or rooftop solar. It generally makes more sense to have the electricity generation separate from the vehicle if the goal is to reduce dependence upon grid power.

 

[Space monkey]

I also have a reservation for both. I am leaning hard toward the CT since I live in the mountains on a dirt road. Even without any solar (although I would absolutely pay extra for that upgrade, even if only a few hundred watts) I need something off road worthy. But I really love the Aptera concept. It’s a hard choice for me . I wish I could do both!
I’m a day 1 CT reservation holder, if that will even matter. If Aptera had the off road package available by the time my CT reservation was configurable…..

 

[Crissa]

I want to do both. It'll be the first time we've had two working cars at the same time in twenty years.

(We have two motorcycles right now, which covers the vehicles bit, but they're less useful in the rain or to carry friends or building supplies.)

-Crissa

 

[Trbizwiz]

I know YouTubers aren’t quite the full truth, nothing but the truth type, but there was this story.





Personally I would think a solar canopy at home makes more sense.
also, I’ve said this on other threads, but it bears repeating. I have free off peak charging from my utility. (Technically it’s flat rate, I pay a $31/month lease for their wall charger, and off peak is free) Check with your utility and see if it’s an option. Far cheaper than solar. I currently get an average of 600 kWh per month for $31. It would take about $20,000 worth of solsr to generate that. I do also subscribe to their solar together program. I pay $50/ month for about $40/ month of solar energy. In about 5 years, I’ll own that tiny part of the solar farm, and continue to get $40 per month worth of solar energy, for no charge. I would have taken more, but that’s all they would let me subscribe for.
I may get to get an additional allotment next year. They reopen subscriptions once per year. It’s worth checking to see if your utility has that option as well.

 

[Rockvillerich]

I am aware of the difference between the solar charging capacity of Aptera and CT. But if CT doesn't have any solar capacity I will be very disappointed. I only live 5miles from work so 10-15 miles will be fine.

Maybe you should consider getting yourself an ebike.

 

[Thom]

To clarify, I live in 5 miles above where I work. I did ride my bike for a while but I stopped when my breaks went out one foggy morning and I crashed into a concrete barrier. I do want to get an Ebike but not for commuting to work.

 

[Rutrow]

Although I'm not going to spend a lot of time designing a solar system to go along with my CYBERTRUCK until actual Release Candidates (RC) hit the streets, I'm fairly certain that my set up will feature remote set up.

I can see me hauling a few panels with me for boondock camping, I don't want to constrain myself with orientation that REQUIRES being attached to my truck. Sometimes I might prefer my truck to be parked in the shade, or pointing a direction that the angle to the sun isn't optimal.

If the CYBERTRUCK comes with a solar tonneau (like Elon hinted), my mounting points won't be above the bed. If not, my initial thought is that I'll make some rails to fit the roof rack attachment points and have some suction cup rack system for over the front end. But in addition to that I'll have some simple system to allow me to throw up a few panels some distance away from the truck that I can adjust the angle and orientation thru the day.

My dream system does attach to the truck, and uses the Smart Summon ability to autonomously follow the sun's path perfectly across the sky like a sunflower!!!

 

[LDRHAWKE]

It all depends. I’m retired. No longer high mileage. If I can find a way to get 15 or 20 miles while being parked from solar cells that would add convenience in not even worrying about plugging it in most of the time by sitting in the sunlight that would avoid having to even worrying about charging it unless I go on a trip.

just look on Amazon. Highly efficient over 400 watt roll up or fold out solar collectors are available. I am considering simply buying one rolling it out in the truck bed, connecting a couple of bike loving cables nearest the cab so it isn’t ripped off and can be rolled up if I want to put something in the bed..

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